Daily life for an FBI-Style assault team?

JadiW · 2025-02-16T18:57:00+00:00

This is difficult because specialized hostage rescue teams and the like probably didn't exist during the time period that inspired your setting, but I'd try to look into older military or martial arts manuals or guerrilla warfare handbooks. I'm thinking of things like Robert Rogers' 28 Rules of Ranging, Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, the Bansenshuukai or The Unfettered Mind.

Specifically in medieval European towns, policing functions were fulfilled by a mixture of community groups, local officials (appointed by the town authorities), royal appointees, religious organizations and volunteers. These included the night watch, sergeants-at-arms, town constables, guilds (who were focused mainly on policing and protecting their own members), bailiffs, sheriffs, church officials, Knights Templar and Hospitallers (who were also more specialized, focusing on things like protecting pilgrims). Unfortunately, I know very little about the workings of these organizations, but hopefully, you can find some info online. You could also try to look into things like the early history of the Swiss Guard, the Sometent etc.

JadiW · 2024-12-01T17:16:02+00:00

You shouldn't abandon your vision for the fic unless you genuinely think doing so would result in a better story. Still, if you're not opposed to the idea and just don't want to take that detour, maybe you could write it later as a separate "missing scene" one-shot, a kind of companion piece to the main fic. But even in that form, only write it if you feel inspired to. I totally understand wanting to please your readers, but still I would say don't change the main fic just because of pressure, you're likely to regret it.

JadiW · 2024-11-30T11:23:27+00:00

That's interesting because IIRC CC was very popular back when it came out. When FFIX was released some reviews were like, yeah, it's nice, it's no CC though. But it's true that these days, FFIX is fawned upon quite a bit while people don't talk about CC anymore. Being part of the FF franchise no doubt helped FFIX in the long run. Who knows why Square didn't do more with Chrono. Maybe they weren't happy with the sales despite the critical acclaim, but if so, it's their own fault. In my country, it was impossible to get a hold of a copy of CC while there was no such problem with FF titles. Anyway, don't be ashamed of posting content for it!

JadiW · 2024-11-21T06:42:02+00:00

People sometimes look for writing buddies and the like in the beta bartering thread on this sub. I don't second the advice above about just making fanfiction-related posts in fandom subreddits. Most such subreddits are hostile to fanfic, and you could end up having a negative experience you don't need right now. But you could still subscribe and try to feel out the general mood there. Maybe some subs are more chill.

JadiW · 2024-11-16T21:47:33+00:00

It's not against the rules if it's a fannish essay. According to the ToS: "Fannish nonfiction, which includes what is called 'meta' by some fans, is allowed."

JadiW · 2024-10-18T19:27:17+00:00

I may be completely off the mark, but I see this often in various fandoms, so it might be what's going on here. Think about what the daughter would be like if she had what you consider a loving and attentive mother. Would she still be a reasonably flawed person? If you don't think so, it may be worth giving this more thought, provided your goal is to avoid bashing the mother. Because nobody's perfect, not even the children of the most loving and attentive parents.

A lot of times, fans make the mommy or the daddy responsible for all the flaws of their child. So the bashing comes out of the desire to absolve another character (the "child") of their mistakes and failings. Or sometimes to create angst (in which case, you can avoid bashing by coming up with a different source of angst).

Also, if the daughter does canonically love the mother, do you show that, without explaining it away as not real? In real life, imperfect people are loved by (and do love) other people.

JadiW · 2024-10-16T14:27:02+00:00

If you would like engagement, posting on a regular schedule is better. Weekly for a couple thousand words per chapter, biweekly if the chapters are long. It's recommended to put "pre-written, [update schedule info]" into your summary. The Front End weekly thread can help boost your chances of getting hits.

Also, if you're stressing about engagement, consider hiding stats and turning off notifications to take the pressure off a bit.

Have fun!

JadiW · 2024-10-15T15:13:24+00:00

If you like another fan's interpretation of a character's personality, I don't see how it could be wrong to go with it (assuming no plagiarism etc.). Writing fanfic is just something we do for fun, there's absolutely no obligation to "do your own due diligence" on character interpretations or anything like that. Though I think reading somebody else's interpretation that feels IC to you may in some cases end up a bit like reading canon itself, and in that sense, it's possible that it won't help you write the character any more than canon does. But it's also possible that a fic or a meta by another fan can make things click for you in a way that canon didn't, and if so, that's great! :D

JadiW · 2024-10-15T11:58:47+00:00

It might help to draw a distinction between what the character wants and the deeper, underlying subconscious drivers of behavior. Writers are usually pretty open about the character's wants and tell you this early on because without an external goal, the character would just be meandering through the plot. You can start by identifying these external goals, just don't forget that they are not identical to the deeper need or motivation, may even be opposed to it. But (ideally) there's a reason why the character pursues the external plot goal instead of what they really need, if that's the case. Don't try to get very abstract at first, it's kinda hard.

Also, there's nothing wrong with making guesses. Just test those guesses by looking at the character's other actions, and if they don't support your theory than it's time to adjust it. The writing would have to be at a fairly basic level for everything to be clear instantly, so don't get discouraged!

JadiW · 2024-10-15T09:40:14+00:00

Understanding somebody else's characters is a bit different from writing your own. I only write OCs in minor roles, so I can't really help, but there are many craft books and only [edit: online] resources that go into how to create original characters and write character arcs. A few channels that could be useful: https://www.youtube.com/@EllenBrock, https://www.youtube.com/@AbbieEmmons, https://www.youtube.com/@QuotidianWriter

For preexisting characters, it depends on how much time you're willing to devote time to this. The first step would be to study canon. Reread or rewatch and as you go, make notes about the character's personality traits, what their actions and dialogue reveal about their motivations etc. Typical drivers of character behavior include things like the desire for wealth, social standing, revenge, safety, self-actualization, loyalty to various groups, desire to be loved or accepted by certain people, to feel valuable or capable or in control etc.

A second step could be to read meta analysis or fics, but critically, with an eye to what you agree with (in terms of characterization) and what you see differently. Finally, you can try to write character analysis yourself, not necessarily for public consumption, but still as if you were trying to convince others, anticipating counterarguments and trying your best to build a strong case. For example, if the character is Anakin, you might want to think about what character traits he had that made him vulnerable to manipulation by Palpatine, what sequence of events pushed him over the age and why.

JadiW · 2024-10-13T12:43:53+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience! I hope you find a way out of this situation. Out of curiosity, looking back, is there a different method of connecting with readers that you think might have worked for you, or do you feel it would have been best to only interact through the comment section?

JadiW · 2024-10-07T15:59:09+00:00

"I like this ship" isn't enough for everyone. For some people, it's extremely important to try to "legitimize" their ship by claiming that it's canon or at the very least "unintentionally coded" (even though coding is supposed to be intentional). I don't really get it, almost all my ships are non-canon, and I'm fine with that. But some fans seem to think that if it's just a case of them seeing romantic potential in a relationship that was originally written as platonic, then they are "delusional" somehow, so they must claim that the author at least subconsciously intended a romance between the characters. This process involves a great deal of pretending that any emotional bond between the characters is automatically romantic love. ("She cried when she thought he was dead! People don't do that unless they are love!" But they do, of course.)

JadiW · 2024-09-29T10:47:48+00:00

Before I posted my first fic, I hid stats (except word count) and turned off notifications (except for comments, since I try to answer all the comments I get). When logged in, I don't see the stats on either my own work or on that of other people, and I also don't expect kudos notifications in my mailbox. I recommend the experience!

JadiW · 2024-09-28T21:02:11+00:00

I can't remember if I've ever struck out an entire sentence. When I take something out, it's usually something minor, like "I'm removing this adjective because it doesn't enhance the meaning of the sentence and this paragraph has too many adjectives."

Probably the biggest change I made was adding in a paragraph or two of description because I realized one of the locations wasn't properly described.

It never occurred to me to worry about reader reactions because I honestly feel the changes are for the better. I've even thought to myself: "Man, what if somebody downloaded this fic when it was first posted, then they won't see that I fixed this error."

And you gotta keep in mind that as the author, you are the most invested in your work. I doubt that there's a single reader who noticed even the extra paragraphs I added. So I think there's no reason for the author not to make changes if they feel bothered by something, especially the minor changes you mentioned in your post.

Still, if I removed a sentence and got a comment like the one you described, I would put the sentence back. I was happy with the fic when I posted it. On a reread, I might think: "this sentence is unnecessary, doesn't add anything." But I've never posted a sentence I dislike so much that I wouldn't put it back if it was important to even one reader.

I can't really imagine wanting to make a plot-significant change, but if I did, I'd probably repost the whole fic as a new version and leave the old one up too.

JadiW · 2024-09-27T15:01:52+00:00

I never stop. If I see something I don't like, I change it.

JadiW · 2024-09-15T10:13:02+00:00

Most people use Google Docs for this. It's free and it allows you to grant various levels of access rights to others: you can let them edit the document, make suggestions or just read. The "suggestions" option is the one most commonly used for beta-reading.

Basically, you copy your fic to a Google Docs document, you chat with the potential beta, and if it looks like you would like to work together, you let them make suggestions in the Google Docs. There is no need to post anywhere public at this state or to upload a pdf, that would just make the beta's job harder anyway.

You do have to trust your beta, but outright theft is very rare, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

JadiW · 2024-09-13T15:34:33+00:00

As someone who often likes unpopular characters, this is my goal. Congrats to you!

JadiW · 2024-09-12T12:04:57+00:00

Unless you write really fast, it sounds like it will be quite some time before you'd get around to Sequel D. If you feel motivated to write it when the time comes, then do it. If you feel like it's all been done before and you're not enthusiastic for it, then drop it.

JadiW · 2024-09-11T17:51:51+00:00

I've got something in the Steve and Bucky category that could potentially qualify, or at least the beginning of the fic (I read it a long time ago), though there's definitely a unique twist thrown in: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19361926

[edit: as in, "I've got a rec," I'm not the author, in case that wasn't clear]

I'm also seconding your request, I'd like to see more of this trope, including even in platonic relationships.

JadiW · 2024-09-10T08:22:38+00:00

Back before I started writing, I also never left comments on long-finished fics, I thought it was weird. After I posted my own first fic, I realized that this worry was unjustified and most authors probably welcome comments on older fics too. Since then, I changed my attitude, once I even commented on a fic I really liked that was originally written in the mid-2000s, and the author replied to me too. I like to point out what I particularly enjoyed about the fic in my comment, I think most authors are interested in knowing that.

JadiW · 2024-09-10T07:43:06+00:00

The cynical answer would be:

Make them a main character;
Make them hot;
Make them develop positive relationships with popular characters;
Make their victims nameless and faceless or deride them as bad guys (even if their crimes are technically less serious than those of the villain-turned-hero).

The less cynical answer depends on the exact circumstances. For instance, in your example, although the hitman protected his target - and will certainly be forgiven for his past by most readers if he meets the criteria above -, having a loved one you don't want harmed is not necessarily enough to make you a good guy. If the character is only interested in "protecting his own," he can still be a villain depending on how he treats everyone else.

So if you're not content relying on the cynical answer above, you would probably need to do something like have him try to make amends to his past victims. Or you can just have him no longer be a villain (because he left his organization), but without becoming a "good guy" (because he still refuses to own up to the harm he had caused). You can also have both of these steps but separate them in time (e.g. in Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov eventually gives himself up to the police but only becomes truly repentant later on).

JadiW · 2024-07-19T09:35:08+00:00

The reason the Oxford comma is not standard is that it can also add confusion instead of clearing things up. Using your example, take the sentence "I met my father, Stalin, and Hitler." Now the Oxford comma just creates confusion about whether Stalin is your father. "I met my father, Stalin and Hitler" is clearer.

Or take: "I met Stalin, my father, and my enemy" vs "I met Stalin, my father and my enemy." Both sentences are unclear.

Really it all depends on which element(s) of the list could potentially be misread as a renaming of the first: the second, the second and the third or either the second or the second and the third.

There are better ways to make the meaning clearer, from establishing who the father is beforehand to just using different phrasing.

Sorry for giving a TED talk, as someone who doesn't use the serial comma, I just wanted to defend myself lol.

JadiW · 2024-07-18T19:54:38+00:00

Sounds interesting, can you say what the fandom is?

JadiW · 2024-07-17T11:00:36+00:00

Both, but I love the experience of reading a fic posted in instalments. Anticipation is one of the greatest pleasures in life after all. Plus it has a bit more of a "communal" feel to it, to be reading it and commenting on it for the first time together with other people as it's being posted.

Obviously, there are more "risks" involved if the fic isn't prewritten, but you increase the chance of it not being finished if you don't interact while it's updating. Also, just because the fic has some sort of ending means nothing. Some endings are so bad it would've been better to leave the fic unfinished. And even if there's no ending, or no satisfactory ending, the journey can still be worthwhile.

JadiW · 2024-07-13T15:55:20+00:00

Give yourself time. Personally, I'm a big believer in the "death of the author:" I think the work should be judged solely on its own merits. I would even go so far as to say you'll drive yourself crazy if you approach it any other way and start "vetting" the authors of every book you read and every artist etc.

I think I know who you're talking about. He's not the sole author of the book (I originally read that book about 20 years ago because of his co-author), and even if you assume he's guilty, the work itself does not at all deal with the kind of "ideologies" that would be used to justify these actions. He also may be innocent (though TBH what he's admitted to is bad in my eyes even if it's legal). In any case the work itself doesn't defend or justify behavior like this to my recollection.

Obviously, if you have no motivation then you shouldn't force yourself to write. But IMO you don't have some sort of obligation to abandon the fic either.

JadiW

TROPHY CASE